Just try it

New dog sport to come to Dolores

TACOMA sits and waits for a command in the popular and fairly new sport of Treibball. Classes will be taught soon, starting this weekend in Cortez and eventually moving to Dolores.

Dog sports have been rising over the years. You may have heard of agility, you may have heard of flyball, but now there is a new sport coming to town - Treibball.

Pronounced "try ball," this new sport is something local resident Elaine Eschtruth can't wait to share with residents of Montezuma County.

"All you have to have is an exercise ball and a couple of cones," Eschtruth said.

Eschtruth found out about the sport after picking up a copy of Dog Fancy Magazine.

"There was this article about this brand new sport and I had to try it," Eschtruth said.

Eschtruth raises Australian shepherds and thought the sport, which basically involves herding a large exercise ball, would be perfect for her dogs.

Treibball means "Ball Herder" in Germany where it first got started, Eschtruth said.

"The herding dogs would take the stock out to graze in the morning and then get bored. So the herders would take balls for the dogs to chase for fun," she said.

Now whenever she gets those exercise balls out to put them in her car, her dogs go crazy.

"They just love it," she said.

Eschtruth quickly read everything she knew about the sport and wanted to start introducing it in the Four Corners.

"I went to the National Treibball Association and read more and ordered the beginner training book. I am a member of 4 Corners Australian Shepherd Association and presented the information to them," she said.

Eschtruth soon began teaching classes. And they were popular.

For the first time, she will begin teaching classed in Dolores this spring.

Any dog can participate, she added.

"Folks do not need an Aussie to participate. We have a Doberman, border collies, schnauzers, golden retrievers, collies and more that participate," she said.

Classes start April 6 at the Montezuma Fairgrounds. Then classes move to the park in Dolores April 20 from 11 a.m. to noon.

The sport is a bit difficult to play when it is windy so that is why the first classes will be indoors at the fairgrounds, Eschtruth explained.

There is still room for a few more in the classes, call 970-424-7019 for more information.